Residents say this tiny northeastern Utah hamlet is being terrorized by hoodlums from a nearby boys ranch and they want the troublesome teenagers gone.
The youths, most sent to the Majestic Ranch for Boys to deal with social and psychological problems, are being blamed for a crime wave. The City Council has hired an attorney to help send them packing and has refused to issue the ranch a new business license."You've got 50 boys with psychological, social and mental disorders dumped in a community of 500 citizens," said Ogden attorney Robert Echard, hired to represent the town.
"These kids walk down the middle of Main Street stopping traffic," he said. "They force residents off the sidewalks."
The city is threatening criminal charges if the ranch's two-story private school on Main Street isn't closed.
Majestic management has responded by filing a federal lawsuit alleging discrimination. They accused Randolph residents of being isolationists intent on driving them out of business.
"We just feel like they've violated our constitutional rights," said Majestic vice president Dan Peart, whose family owns the ranch. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order to keep the ranch open and unspecified damages.
The Majestic Ranch opened in 1986 intent on teaching troubled youths to punch cattle instead of people. The state-licensed "residential treatment facility" is for boys ages 8 through 18 who suffer from "significant" social and psychological problems.
Most are juvenile offenders from surrounding states. Some are under the guardianship of state social agencies. A few are physically or mentally handicapped.
Only eight boys are allowed to actually live at the ranch, located north of Randolph. The rest work at the ranch but live in town and attend the ranch's school.
At first the youngsters attended public school, but the school district banned them for disciplinary problems in 1989.
The school had a business license until 1992, when city officials refused to renew it, claiming the area was zoned for residential and agricultural use.
When Majestic officials pointed out that the building had housed businesses previously, the council responded by amending the ordinance to provide for rejections based on moral grounds.
That attitude, according to ranch employees, is typical.
Echard said the townsfolk have been tolerant.
"But things have gotten out of hand," he said. "These people should not have to sacrifice their lifestyle so the operators of this ranch can make money."
Majestic's lawsuit said criminal incidents by ranch boys have been "isolated and relatively rare." However, the Rich County sheriff's office has recorded a rapid rise in crime since the ranch opened.